Brent RUEGAMER - French Frames March 2009

[BMANX]

Rue out of the bike building business is sad to say the least. I would have loved to have had a frame done up and was lucky enough to get a set of bonded bars (bar/stem bonded together) and received nothing but the best service and hands down the most amazing bars. I was reading this thread just waiting for a response and loved what Bella had to say. Always two sides to the story and it is great to now get the other side.

Enjoy riding your frame as I am sure it will be amazing adn last for years to come.

[Lars]

Thanks. I would have loved to get this kinds of informative and timely answers earlier on in the process. We got a frame three months later than we should have received a completed tandem in suitcases. So does this also mean that you will now send back the USD 2100 something you owe us?
And I've had dealings with many small companies over the years, in the US (where I've also lived) and elsewhere, without ever having to get to this "worry" level./Lars

[Lars]

PS We will certainly enjoy the frame and think positively of you fellows once we ride on it!

[Berzin]

While we're on the subject of strange things people say, Berzin, do you also know how much milk is in our fridge? I don't know where you get your information from, but its off... way off. Though yes, its true, Rue is going out of business, everything else you've said is just you talking out your back end. You don't talk to anyone here so you obviously have no clue.

But for the record, Rue is going out of business. Her passion became a job and before she begins to hate it, she's getting out. She's not doing it for anything other than her being tired of drama like this for no good reason.

There would have been no drama if this situation was handled with a modicum of integrity. I respect this site enough not to get into some childish flame war replete with ridiculous name-calling, but the fact of the matter is Ruegamer exhibited the classic patterns of a failing small internet business. We've seen it before with other cycling manufacturers and the MO is always the same-the unanswered phone calls/emails, the failure to meet deadlines, the failure to meet product requirements and lastly the inevitable fall-all par for the course.

But you have the nerve to come on this site and proclaim that the problems in this particular case were the fault of the customer, and you make these accusations without one iota of remorse.

It is especially galling when companies like Ruegamer use sites such as this to drum up business and make reputations for themselves, yet refuse to take responsibility for their actions when things go wrong.

Ruegamer could have been successful if the company would have adhered to some shred of business ethics. But Ruegamer did not. There were other agendas being pursued that took precedence over Ruegamer's responsibility to some customers who paid for goods/services that were not rendered in a timely fashion.

Bottom line is the business failed, and now you are saying Ruegamer left the business because of all the "drama"-in other words, you are laying the fault squarely on the shoulders of Ruegamer's customers and not the way business was handled on Ruegamer's end.

Your attempt at spinning this is patently absurd, and speaks volumes about your own personal ethics. It is too bad this life passion to build carbon frames turned into a job.

Welcome to the real world.

[Lars]

We ordered our tandem to give hope to my wife who was going blind. When the frame arrived to my brother in law in NYC it didn't look "professionally" done to his amateur eyes. We sent it to Calfee. Here's the verdict:
The frame is built for a very light team; tubing of this diameter and guage requires a lateral tube for adequate durability and stiffness (reference our very large diameter tubes)
* The frames joinery (wrapping) is too minimal.  There is not enough material around to manage the many significant stresses where the tubes intersect.  There are areas where the base 3k fabric (used as the initial "laminant") is visible through the carbon wrapping.  We all expect it to fail - and quickly!
* The rear triangle is an ultralight rear triangle, we understand made by ENVE Composites, intentioned for ultra-light single frames; not capable of handling stress of tandem teams (thus the 130mm rear spacing...most tandems are 145, maybe 135).
* The rear triangle is crooked (you'll see this in photos).  It sits @ over an 1/8" out of alignment and is crooked in multiple planes
* The top/front of the head tube/bearing race (integrated headset so no alloy tube) has been crushed.  We may be able to repair it.  Is is out of round and will not accept a bearing (we had to make a tool just to check alignment)
* The paint is consistently poor quality with many drips, rough spots, etc.
* There is metal from the coupler on the TT exposed owing to too little carbon/too much being removed
* The rear seat clamp was shipped bottomed out and has compressed the carbon seat tube.  We can repair this.
* There is more...."

To me it is not even a failing small business pattern. It's criminal. And let's not even talk about how it has affected my wife.

[elviento]

This is just tragic. I remember meeting him (then) at Interbike and he was a cheerful young man and very passionate about his design and bike. From what I gather in this thread, passion was not properly guided by discipline and something that could have become the next Parlee is now a mess...

I suppose to make a good bike, you also need to make a good person first.

[pritchet74]

Wow. I am shocked.

[Gumgardner]

Are you going to post pics?

[Lars]

You mean of the frame?

[BMANX]

What else would we be talking about. Yes the frame.

[Lars]

The pictures were too big too upload here. Need to reformat.

[BMANX]

Just shrink them to 1024 and life will be good. I think that is the biggest you can do here.

[Lars]

A few to start with. Will upload a few more later.

[54ny77]

oh my. that's not good.

[Berzin]

Lars-try to take some photos of the frame in some good lighting.

The details you are describing are a little difficult to make out. I understand not everyone is good at taking photos, but in some better light the details will stand out more.